Ours contains: several one Tbsp portions of tomato paste in tiny ziplocks several one cup portions of chicken stock several one cup portions of homemade pheasant stock (which were placed in a larger ziplock, which is good because the smaller internal bags leaked and froze together in a giant solid glob) some vacuum-sealed pheasant breasts a bag of frozen pheasant and chicken carcasses for my next batch of stock several bags of chicken dill soup several containers of homemade pesto from last summer small portions of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (because the whole can is almost always too much) frozen shrimp berries I picked last summer a couple bottles of some Bulgarian liquor similar to grappa (a transliteration of the bottle print is "Rakeeya Pesherska Grozdova" ...dunno what that means) several martini glasses a few ice pack covers for white wine bottles some venison paprika a couple bags of homemade pumpkin and maple syrup ravioli some squash soup mint syrup ice cubes and swizzle sticks lime juice ice cubes lemon juice ice cubes phyllo dough frozen veggies dill ... and who knows what else in the very back... (Ewww! I just found a bag of fish carcasses! Steve stashes these in the freezer until garbage day so they don't stink the place up and this bag apparently got buried last summer! To the trash can you go!) The garage freezer is a bit more interesting. That's where we keep the pheasant (most of which we recently made into sausages: spinach & feta, mushroom and wild rice, spicy, and spicy smoked), moose meat, homemade moose andouille sausages, some wild game terrines, venison, a rabbit, a bunch of tomatoes and tomato puree...

Oh shoot! Now I have one more thing to check before I retire for the night: lock the doors; make certain doggie is tucked away for the night; check that the gas stove is turned off ... and now, I have to double check the doors on the refrigerator and freezer! Actually, I'd be more concerned about the foods in the freezer thawing out than I would about the doors to the house being locked! We've all worked hard to prepare and freeze everything in the freezer ... and I don't think anyone reall wants to break into our home. So sorry for your loss -- although I hope you just tough it out and keep everything, being careful, of course, as you consume it. Do you have any enemies you can invite over for a meal? If so, you can have them taste the food first. Just a thought ... Kathy

I agree with Carol. It makes no sense to can demiglace. Indeed, unless you use it on a regular basis, it makes little sense to make it at all. Not that it doesn't do its job. It does, with a vengeance. Just think of it as concentrated beef (veal, venison, chicken)flavor. What you have to answer is, "how often do I use that sort of concentrated mix." If you canned it, even in a baby food size jar, you would still need to refrigerate after opening, because, as Carol notes, a little goes a long, long way. So if you do make it, just refrigerate it to begin with. Personally, I don't bother. What I do is freeze stock, and use it as the base for soups, stews, and sauces as necessary. If I do need a more concentrated flavor (which is rare; my stocks already are pretty flavorsome) I merely boil down the stock first.

In case anybody is still following, lol: I've been thinking of Sena's fridge placement concern. The fridge I ordered has a door that can be reversed and is actually 26" deep with door. So I think we'll try it for awhile where the current fridge has been, on the end of the short L. We can inset it into the wall with the door reversed so it swings left and, thus, won't crowd the person at the sink. I'm wondering if we do this if it will be back far enough to now crowd the line-of-vision to the window? We should be able to get an idea of that without actually before we tear out the wall to see if it will be worth it to inset it. Although i do hate to lose that long baking counter. But we can also take out the side wall to the broom closet and play with the fridge there. If we don't like that, I figure we can get cabinets to fill that spot. They could uppers and lowers with counter and a better landing spot/command center than I currently have. Or just a pantry. Might also make a good place to put a small microwave a bit closer to cooking area. Anyway, just mulling options. It will be fun to play with all this. Went to a big home show in the Big City a 90-minute drive away. Hoping to see some unique and interesting ideas. Well, that was a waste. Didn't really see anything any different or better than what I see at our HD. Bummer. But had a nice visit with my friend that came with me so that's good. Won't waste my time on home shows again if this is all they have. My next venture out-of-town will be to some of the bigger Habitat Re-Stores. I've been told that a couple have amazing selections due to being in areas more flush with cash and a lot of high-end remodels. After looking at photos online, I kinda wish I'd thought to check them out sooner for my fridge. Hoping to find some nice cabinet boxes in the sizes I need so I only have to order door/drawer fronts from Barker. I don't mind multiple trips for the right cabinets as this will save hundreds over buying new cabinet boxes. Wow, I can't imagine building a whole house. A kitchen is enough work for me!